Articles - Page 147

What I Mean to Say: A Practitioner Perspective on AI, Semantics, and Content Evolution

msalvatierra

This week, <a href="http://www.sitecore.net/">Sitecore</a>, the customer experience management software specialists, released its first-ever mobile applications to provide marketers with anywhere, anytime access to their  <a href="http://www.sitecore.net/Products/Customer-Engagement-Platform.aspx"> experience platform</a>.
These applications, available on Windows 8.1 and iOS, have been developed using Sitecore’s Mobile SDK. The “Sitecore Executive Insight Dashboard” application for <a href="http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/app/sitecore-executive-insight/874b8517-1e75-4774-aa06-90d7524f213e">Windows 8.1</a> tablets and Apple <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/executive-insight-dashboard/id778652991?ls=1&amp;mt=8">iPad</a> gathers customer engagement analytics and insights across touch-points and presents them in a simple mobile view.
The <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sitecore-media-uploader/id804654857?ls=1&amp;mt=8">Sitecore iOS Media Uploade</a> application allows marketers to upload rich media content, including high-resolution photos and videos, via an iOS mobile device directly to the <a href="http://www.sitecore.net/Products/Web-Content-Management/Content-Management/Digital-Asset-Management.aspx">Sitecore Media Library</a>.
So, let's check out what these brand new apps can bring to the Sitcore marketing table.
<h2>Enhanced Marketing Flexibility</h2>
The Sitecore Executive Insight Dashboard, available for both Windows 8.1 and iOS, displays customer activity from across all touch points, giving marketers the ability to access engagement analytics and insights from mobile devices. Using these apps, marketers can make informed decisions about customer engagement while working on-the-go.
Customer activity is automatically added into existing customer intelligence profiles stored in Sitecore’s experience platform, which is accessible via the app. The dashboard increases marketer productivity with another access point to glean key insights from customer data and campaign engagement metrics, providing superior coverage of customer analytics.
The Sitecore iOS Media Uploader allows marketers to use mobile devices to feed rich media content directly into the Sitecore Media Library, where it will be immediately accessible through Sitecore’s Content Management System. Photos and videos uploaded via the iOS Media Uploader are instantly added to existing customer profiles and automatically tagged.
Upon the release of the apps, Mark Floisand, Vice President Product Marketing, Sitecore, had this to say:
<blockquote>“Marketers face increasing expectations from customers to deliver relevant and personalized online experiences, yet today’s marketers are always on-the-go, making it difficult to adjust engagement campaigns via web or software-based customer experience management systems. With the Sitecore Executive Insight Dashboard and Sitecore iOS Media Uploader, marketers now have access to key analytics and content repositories right from their mobile devices, increasing efficiency and giving marketers the ability to own the experience.”</blockquote>
Furthermore, both of these apps – which are the first Sitecore apps ever to be released, are completely free.
The “Sitecore Executive Insight Dashboard” can be downloaded for <a href="http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-gb/app/sitecore-executive-insight/874b8517-1e75-4774-aa06-90d7524f213e" target="_blank"> Windows 8.1</a> and <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/executive-insight-dashboard/id778652991?ls=1&amp;mt=8" target="_blank">iOS</a>, whilst the “Sitecore iOS Media Uploader” is <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/executive-insight-dashboard/id778652991?ls=1&amp;mt=8" target="_blank">exclusive to iOS devices</a>.
To find out more about Sitecore, visit their <a href="http://www.sitecore.net/" target="_blank">official website</a>.
Additionally, you can explore more of what's on offer from <a href="/products/sitecore/" target="_blank">Sitecore via our CMS Directory</a>.

First-Ever Sitecore Apps Unlock Mobile Marketing Capabilities

mike-johnston

<a href="http://www.easysocialshop.com/" target="_blank">Easy Social Shop</a>, a leading Facebook commerce solution, today announced a partnership with popular ecommerce platform <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/shopify" target="_blank">Shopify</a>, in a bid to make social commerce easier than ever for Shopify merchants.
The partnership means that Shopify will offer the Easy Social Shop application in its app store, allowing Shopify merchants to easily build an effective marketing and sales platform on social media through Easy Social Shop.
Launched in 2011, Easy Social Shop boasts nearly 100,000 merchants the world over, hosting over 8 million items. The platform is designed to maximize the social media presence of companies in order to drive sales, boost awareness and help reach new markets and consumers.
<h2>Taking Selling Social</h2>
Available in 7 languages, Easy Social Shop is a social commerce mechanism that allows online merchants to import their e-commerce stores to a Facebook shop for free – and now, that includes Shopify stores.
Easy Social Shop hosts almost 100,000 shops, driving an average 10%-18% sales growth for its merchants overall.
The platform is simple to set up and enables transactions to occur on the original site itself, streamlining the sales and analytics process. Shops built through Easy Social Shop are customizable, can be translated into 7 different languages, allow cross-platform sharing across social media, and are seamlessly integrated with eBay, Etsy, Shopify, Amazon, Magento and other major e-commerce platforms.
Nissim Lehyani, the Easy Social Shop’s CEO and Co-Founder, had this to say:
<blockquote>“Every business and corporation has an e-commerce presence, and one of the biggest challenges for a small business is standing out. By helping businesses tap into the benefits of social media, Easy Social Shop enables the type of cross platform engagement that can level the playing field and give small business an amazing channel to new and existing markets.”</blockquote>
Shopify, an e-commerce store provider, powers more than 90,000 stores and has thus far enabled its merchants to sell over $3 billion of merchandise.
By offering the Easy Social Shop app on the app store, Shopify continues to stimulate the growth and success of its user base. Both Easy Social Shop and Shopify have developed user-friendly platforms that offer extensive and versatile capabilities without requiring coding experience.
Ofir Tahor, the CTO and Co-Founder of Easy Social Shop, commented on the status of Shopify:
<blockquote>“Shopify provides SMBs with an e-commerce presence that can help transform them into successful companies. They are a natural partner for us since we, too, are committed to helping SMBs take advantage of existing technology to spur further success through solutions that are simple, effective, and offer great functionality.”</blockquote>
To find out more about Easy Social Shop,visit their <a href="http://www.easysocialshop.com/" target="_blank">official website</a>.
Alternatively, you can explore more of <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/products/shopify/" target="_blank">Shopify via our CMS Directory</a>.

Easy Social Shop Team up With Shopify to Facilitate Social Commerce

With a release date of March 17 th, PrestaShop version 1.6 is right around the corner.
<a href="http://www.prestashop.com/" target="_blank"> PrestaShop's popular ecommerce platform</a> powers over 165,000 online stores across the globe, throughout 160 different countries.
Version 1.6 promises to bring about an array of new features, including a completely re-designed front and back end.
The team over at PrestaShop recently gave me early access to version 1.6, and with just days to go before launch, I can confirm that PrestaShop users have a lot to be excited about.
<h2>A Revamped Front End</h2>
Before I delve into what PrestaShop admins will soon be enjoying, there are some notable improvements made to the PrestaShop “Front Office” which will drastically improve the shopping experience for customers.
PrestaShop has gone into detail about all of the updates version 1.6 brings to the front office via their <a href="http://www.prestashop.com/blog/en/prestashop-version-1-6-a-look-at-the-redesigned-front-office/" target="_blank">official blog</a>, but I was less concerned about the features list, and more concerned about how it all came together – so I made my way over to PrestaShop's brand new Front Office myself.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/presta7700x0.png" alt="PrestaShp 1.6 Front Office" /> 
First things first, I think that PrestaShop 1.6 brings about one of the best looking default themes offered by any ecommerce platform on the market.
The theme is sleek, responsive and beautifully presents customizable banners in a way which is eye-caching, yet professional. Also, thanks to Sass Compass technology, you can edit colors, fonts, CSS and much more with just a few clicks using the Live Template Edit feature directly from the Front Office.
Another notable feature I quickly came across was the “Quick View” functionality for all listed products. The feature brings up a “Quick View” button whenever customers hover over a product, which in turn opens up a lightbox presenting key product information, images, pricing, social sharing buttons, and so forth.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/presta5700x0.png" alt="PrestaShop 1.6 Product Quick View" /> 
Changes to the catalog pages also stood out for me. Customers can choose between viewing products in a grid or in a list, with both options looking and working well.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/presta9700x0.png" alt="PrestaShop 1.6 Catalog" />
Furthermore, the catalog pages house a host of search filters, making shopping extremely easy. Customers can filter products by colour, size, materials, styles, price and more with just a few clicks.
Banners make another appearance on catalog pages, allowing you to add some colour and creativity to the page. The sidebar beneath the filter section offers more space for promotion, enabling you to showcase new products, special products, previously viewed products, and so forth. This may sound like a lot of features to include on one catalog page, but thanks to the very light and spacious design of the theme, it all just works.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/presta10.png" alt="PrestaShop 1.6 Sidebar" />
Finally, I can't ignore PrestaShop's brand new and improved Shopping Cart system – which is arguably the most important element of an ecommerce website.
Quick access to the cart is available via the top right-hand corner of the page, but unlike previous versions of PrestaShop, the drop-down menu gives you a large, cleaner window, along with the featured image of the products in your cart.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/presta11700x0.png" alt="PrestaShop1.6 Shopping Cart" /> 
The shopping cart page itself is once again sleek and easy to understand. Check out is separated into five sections: Summary, Login, Address, Shipping and Payment. Pretty straightforward stuff.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/presta8700x0.png" alt="PrestaShop 1.6 Shopping Cart" />
All of these features and modules make shopping on PrestaShop 1.6 a breeze. Customers receive a professional browsing and purchasing experience from the homepage, and all the way through to check out.
Social sharing buttons are common place throughout the theme, catalog filtering is easy to use, and the overall design of PrestaShop's new responsive defealt theme is simply elegant.
<h2>Back End Beauty</h2>
To accompany an impressive new Front Office, PrestaShop 1.6 also introduces an all new modern and user-friendly “Back Office”.
Much like with the Front Office, PrestaShop have documented many of the new features of their new Back Office via their  <a href="http://www.prestashop.com/blog/en/prestashop-v-1-6-back-office-whats-new-and-improved/" target="_blank"> official blog </a> , but I was more interested in perhaps shedding some light where it had yet to be shone.
So I got to grips with its sleek interface, and I have no qualms in confirming that it is indeed a colossal improvement on the current PrestaShop admin panel.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/presta12700x0.png" alt="PrestaShop 1.6 Back Office" />
The top menu, which provides access to latest orders, registrations, messages, achievements, and more, is very neatly laid out and unintrusive, even with drop-down menus. The left-hand sidebar contains the bulk of available features and functions, all of which are listed below a handy search bar.
Quick access to product uploading, profile settings and your store's homepage is provided by the top menu bar, which sits above a secondary tab containing a help button specific for each page of the Back Office.
The sidebar can be minimized too, allowing the main window to take center stage.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/presta2700x0.png" alt="PrestaShop 1.6 Back Office" /> 
PrestaShop 1.6's dashboard itself is a sight to behold. It houses a wide range of statistics, insights, useful links, news and even gives you the ability to add further measurement tools via <a href="https://addons.prestashop.com/en/" target="_blank"> Addons </a> , if you so wish.
All the interfaces I came across in the back office of PrestaShop 1.6 maintained the modern feel I found on the dashboard, with each section offering detailed functionality.
Further statistics could also be found via the newly introduced “Intelligent Merchant KPI” feature, which displays relevant facts and figures relating to stock levels, profit margins, abandoned carts, and more. These stats are all displayed across the top of different pages and sections of the Back Office.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/presta3700x0.png" alt="PrestaShop 1.6 Intelligent Merchant KPI" /> 
Another feature I noticed, was that certain back-end pages offered me “Recommended Modules”. For example, the “Orders” page recommended me modules pertaining to fraud and feed management systems. Impressively, I didn't even need to leave the lightbox in order to install these modules.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/presta4.png" alt="PrestaShop 1.6 Recommended Modules" /> 
It was these smaller elements which were standing out for me. Each page had its own dedicated help page, a set of recommended modules, relevant statistics and more. All of these features combined to give the entire admin panel a real sense of detail.
<h2>Real Time &amp; Forecasted Statistics</h2>
PrestaShop version 1.6 really is all about the statistics. The dedicated “Stats” page is still around, but with a brand new look. It allows you to get a wide range of statistics from all the nooks and crannies of your store – all of which are automatically measured.
The Stats page offers insights into areas like best product categories, best customers, best sellers, sarch engine kewords, visitors, best vouchers and many more. Although this feature isn't new, the enhanced design makes it feel as if it is. There is so much to monitor, and yet the simple graphs and lists associated with each parameter makes that monitoring easier to do than ever before.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/prestaaa700x0.png" alt="PrestaShop 1.6 Stats" /> 
But wait, there's more.
PrestaShop 1.6 also brings about a truly unique ecommerce feature – “Real Time Net Profit Margin”. As the name implies, it automatically updates net profit margins in real time, presenting you with sales and your profit figures instantly, every minute of the day.
Finally, the “Forecast Statistics Panel”, lets you see how your sales are trending and what the outlook is for the future. Using this tool, you can make smarter business decisions based on current trends and forecasts based entirely on the performance of your store.
These progress measurement tools, accompanied by the “Intelligent Merchant KPI” I mentioned earlier, makes PrestaShop 1.6 a statistical powerhouse, enabling you to monitor various metrics from a variety of helpful angles.
<h2>Newly Integrated Technologies, Seamless Upgrading &amp; More</h2>
Technologies such as Bootstrap 3.0, FontAwesome, Sass Compass and D3 Data Driven Documents have all been integrated into version 1.6 of PrestaShop, putting it right up there with the most technologically advanced ecommerce platforms.
Seamless upgrading for nearly all PrestaShop users is also offered, thanks to version 1.6 having virtually zero core changes from 1.5x – meaning that any 1.5x store can be upgraded with minimal effort.
Additional noteworthy features include integrated product comparisons with dedicated URLs, cross-selling features via the “Add to Cart Confirmation” screen, and more.
<h2>Community Driven Progress</h2>
If you caught my <a href="/prestashop-a-free-feature-filled-online-store-builder-with-a-thriving-community/" target="_blank"> previous coverage of the PrestaShop </a> , you'll know that they are an ecommerce platform who are big on community.
Whilst piecing together version 1.6, PrestaShop have worked closely with their expert community volunteers <a href="https://github.com/PrestaShop" target="_blank"> through GitHub </a> , and have also obtained feedback and suggestions from their thriving online forum which is populated by over 620,000 members.
Because of this community connection, PrestaShop have been able to gather feedback directly from their user base, and implement it into version 1.6.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/prestaaaaa700x0.png" alt="PrestaShop Forums" />
The proof of this community driven progress is in the pudding. For example, PrestaShop have listened to the calls from their community by taking a number of paid-for features from their Addons store, and have converted them into integrated features included as standard in PrestaShop 1.6 – making them completely free of charge for everybody.
Such features include Rich menu navigation, Add to Cart with Cross-selling, Quick Product View and Advanced statistics.
Now that's what I call giving back to the community.
<h2>Just Days Away</h2>
Version 1.6 of PrestaShop has been in development for a while now, but its launch date is now tantalisingly close. Just days away in fact.
There is excitement within the PrestaShop community, with merchants the world over anticipating new ways to sell, monitor and improve their online stores. The first impressions were extremely good, and the platform only grew on me as I explored it further.
I believe many of the new and unique features implemented by PrestaShop will become indispensable for store owners before very long. Many will forget what it was like to run their store without instant profit margin reports or forecasted sales figures – and for those reasons alone, PrestaShop 1.6 is an impressive piece of software.
PrestaShop 1.6 is set to be released on March 17th at 12:00pm EST. To find out more about PrestaShop, visit their <a href="http://www.prestashop.com" target="_blank"> official website </a> , or check out the <a href="http://www.prestashop.com/en/progress-1-6" target="_blank"> PrestaShop 1.6 progress page </a> .
Additionally, you can explore more of <a href="/products/prestashop/" target="_blank"> PrestaShop via our CMS Directory </a>

Hands-on With PrestaShop 1.6

While the days of mailing self-addressed, stamped envelopes (along with typed or laser-printed poems, short stories, or short creative non-fiction) to journals are not completely behind us, it's become increasingly rare to find a literary journal that does not use cyberspace as a way of accepting submissions. Today, in fact, when one talks about a submission system being “old fashioned” or “low-tech,” chances are pretty good that that means email! More and more literary magazines today are leaving even email submissions behind, instead using submission management systems to track authors and their writing, including updates on which editors have read what so far and whether staff members have voted to accept or reject the work.
<h2> Submittable </h2>
By now, editors and aspiring writers alike have certainly encountered the user-friendly interface of the open-source software of Submittable (formerly called – and often still referred to as – “Submishmash”). Authors who click the “submit” button on the websites of journals that use Submittable recognize the pop-up form that's branded with the company's familiar orange logo. Submittable is used not only by some of the most well-known and prestigious journals like The New Yorker, McSweeney's , and The Atlantic – but it's also what a large percentage of respected journals that are not as well known outside of the literary world are using, too.
From the editorial side, Submittable has been called a “one-stop shop,” allowing for automatic emails to be sent to authors, acknowledging receipt of submissions – and also allowing editorial staff to easily rank submissions and track information. The Submittable website also boasts that no web designer is needed to use the system, and submission capability can be built into a journal's existing site. Submittable is PCI compliant and secure – and it also allows for analytics, reporting, and the exporting of data. Editors can review submissions on their iPads, iPhones, or Kindles.
There are 3 Submittable plan levels, costing from $220 to $2200 per year, depending on the number of editorial staff who will be accessing the account, as well as the number of submissions the system will be able to handle. However, non-profits and/or publishers of art or literature get a 50% discount with the coupon code “NonProfitArtLit .” And, speaking of the issue of money, Submittable also allows journals to collect reading fees.
One Submittable features writers appreciate is that a Submittable username (the user's email address) and password, once set up for one literary magazine, is good for logging in to all journals with submissions systems powered by Submittable. They may also appreciate the fact that authors, whenever they're logged in from any Submittable-subscribing journal's website, will see a complete list of work submitted to other Submittable journals as well, along with a note on what's accepted, rejected, or still simply “in progress.”
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/weaver_elizabeth_submittable_screenshot.jpg" alt="submission management systems - Submittable user interface screenshot" />
<a href="http://www.submittable.com"> Check out Submittable </a>
<h2> Submission Manager </h2>
Writers who submit their work to journals that don't use Submittable may often experience a strange feeling of déjà vu when clicking on a literary magazine's “submit” button and finding themselves being asked to create an account on a vaguely familiar-looking grid page. There's a reason for this feeling of déjà vu: sign-up and log-in pages powered by another popular literary journal submission management system – going simply by the name “Submission Manager” – does, unfortunately, require writers to create a new account for each journal; despite the familiar-looking user interface and the feeling that you've “been here before,” the déjà vu often just means you've submitted work to another journal that uses Submission Manager – but not yet for this particular journal (meaning, yes, you do have to create a new account).
Submission Manager's website boasts that it manages reading periods – which means that neither authors nor editors have to face the annoyance of trying to submit work (or of getting work) during a time when editors are not accepting it. It also allows the capability, where an SMTP application is available, to send automatic emails that acknowledge submissions. Submission Manager consists of a MySQL (version 4.1 or higher) database with a front end programmed in PHP (version 4.3 or higher). It requires a web server and a browser that's set up to accept cookies. While there's no eye-catching logo like the memorable orange one that Submittable uses, the color scheme and fonts can be customized.
Most marketing for Submission Manager seems to be through the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP), a non-profit organization which is funded in part by the National Endowment for the arts – and which offers Submission Manager's services to literary journals for $200.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/weaver_elizabeth_submission_manager_screenshot.jpg" alt="submission management systems - Submission Manager user interface screenshot" />
<a href="http://www.submissionmanager.net/">Check out Submissions Manager</a>
<h2> Tell it Slant </h2>
A third submission management option for literary journals is Tell it Slant. One feature that Tell it Slant predominantly markets is how it handles simultaneous submissions; like Submittable (and unlike Submission Manager), Tell it Slant allows authors to use a single username and password – when logging in either from individual literary journal websites or directly from Tell it Slant's own site. This particular submission management system, however, goes a step farther, also taking full advantage of having all information together in one place – by first detecting when a single piece of writing has been submitted to more than one journal that uses Tell it Slant; then, when one journal on the system accepts the simultaneously submitted piece, that piece of writing is automatically deleted from the submission queues for other journals on the system. This is great news not only for journals but also for authors, who usually have to go through and individually withdraw the accepted piece of writing from consideration by other journals.
Tell it Slant also boasts of forum-style discussion capability that allows editors to have meaningful online exchanges about specific submissions and authors – as well as a function that allows editors to perform keyword searches in author bios. A handy feature for writers is that there's also a specific area of the user profile that builds this bio – whereas, with other sites, adding biographical information tends to be a matter of authors having to copy-and-paste their bios in from elsewhere every time they submit work.
Their site is free for literary journals, with processing fees being charged only for submissions to journals that receive more than 75 a month submissions a month. The processing fee also applies for journals which charge a reading fee.
As far as payment information is concerned, from the writer's perspective, authors who submit their work purchase “credits” through PayPal in order to pay submission fees when using the system. According to Tell it Slant's website, prices vary by journal but tend to be between $1.50 and $3.00.
While it is true that many journals using Submittable and Submission Manager, by contrast, don't charge submission fees, it's worth noting that submitting to journals the the old-fashioned way (through the U.S. Postal Service) requires sufficient postage for sending the writing (costing more or less, depending on the size of the manuscript), plus a self-addressed stamped envelope for a reply (and an additional amount of postage when authors want to have the manuscript returned to them) – all of which adds up for any writer trying to get their work out there. According to Tell it Slant's website, their credit system was started with the plan of eventually offering discounts for writers who buy credits in bulk, so they're making an effort to really make this fee system worth everyone's while.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/weaver_elizabeth_tell_it_slant_submission_mgmt_system.jpg" alt="submission management systems - Tell it Slant user interface screenshot" />
Check out Tell It Slant
Writers and literary journal editors alike today appreciate the ways in which technology has helped to streamline the editorial process. While email is easier to search and track than the old-fashioned paper-and-envelope method, many literary magazine editors have embraced the multitude of features that submission management systems offer. Submitting writers, too, appreciate the seamless, paper-free systems that more journals are using now; with any luck, the fact that more writers are able to get out of the post office line – and get online instead – also means they're able to spend more time crafting great work that's one step closer to being discovered.

3 Submission Management Systems for Literary Journals: an Overview

Established in 2007, EDU 2.0 have steadily grown into one of the most popular learning management systems of offer – and for good reason.
EDU 2.0 raced past the 1 million user mark back in 2013, and are still going strong today by providing their platform for schools, universities and businesses in particular.
They moved their entire platform into the cloud in 2008, and claim to, “still operate like a startup”, with new features rolling out all the time. The icing on the cake is EDU 2.0's super sleek interface, making their platform easy on the eyes, and easy to use.
<h2>A Perfect Fit for Schools &amp; Universities</h2>
EDU 2.0 for School/University – as the name implies, was originally designed for the schooling system back in 2007.
The platform enables schools and universities to take advantage of a number of features, including curricula creation tools, lesson planning, attendance checks, and more. All of which can also be tracked and measured using built-in analytics, helping teachers to visualise progress of individuals and groups.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-17700x0.png" alt="EDU 2.0 Learning Management System" /> 
Furthermore, EDU 2.0 offers a completely free package for schools with up to 2000 students. The free plan does not expire, and includes unlimited storage, unlimited bandwidth, and access to community support forums.
<h2>Seamless Integration for Businesses of All Sizes</h2>
EDU 2.0 for Business was launched in 2010, and offers a wide range of useful features. These include file management, calender scheduling, and a handy integrated messaging and alerts system to help streamline workflows.
Ecommerce is also supported by EDU 2.0, which enables its business users to associate costs with their courses, thus allowing students to browse and make purchases using their credit card or PayPal accounts. EDU 2.0's shopping cart also supports multiple discount codes and multiple currencies, with Authorize.net and PayPal offered as payment gateways.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-1700x0.png" alt="EDU 2.0 Learning Management System" />
Perhaps the most helpful feature of EDU 2.0 for Business, is its flexibility when it comes to integration with other tools and services. Such services include Google Docs, LDAP, Calendars (iCal), Paypal, SMTP/POP3, and more.
Further integration – with Google Apps, for example, is set for later on in 2014, whilst EDU 2.0's API can be used to create custom integrations.
<h2>Help &amp; Support in a Variety of Forms</h2>
Integrating and understanding a new piece of software can be stressful on staff within both schools and businesses, and since migrating from one digital environment to another has an impact on almost every task, the learning curve needs to be a short one.
The team at EDU 2.0 recognizes these issues and provides a robust support system to help ease companies and schools into their software. Help and support come in the form of standard on-site training, web-hosted training via online conferences, regularly updated video libraries, and more.
To find out more about Edu 2.0, check out their <a href="https://www.edu20.org" target="_blank">official website</a>. You can even try out an <a href="https://www.edu20.org/info/demo" target="_blank">online demo</a>.

EDU 2.0: a Flexible, Cloud-based Learning Management System

A college or university has many moving parts – and all of these parts need to work together smoothly in order for the institution to function. All kinds of information has to be made accessible to a large number of varied users – from visitors and students to staff, faculty, and administrators. In today's technology-rich world, in addition to a social media campaign that is up-to-date and well-integrated, colleges and universities have a whole host of their own, unique website and technology needs. (There's so much riding on the on-the-go accessibility of interactive information from the registrar's office alone). Each CMS for Higher Education discussed here is designed with 100% mobile-friendly capability and offers many other user-friendly features as well:
 Ingeniux 
Ingeniux is known as a flexible, secure, and reliable managed hosting solution offering day and night, year-round monitoring and support, including managed software upgrades. It requires no technical knowledge for users and is simple for those who are windows-oriented. Content (including videos, slide shows, etc.) can be easily imported and, in turn, embedded – simply by clicking and dragging from desktop applications. Ingeniux has course catalog and registration features and also allows for newsletters and campus event calendars. Other features include a forms builder, modules for athletics and news, and RSS feeds.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/weaver_elizabeth_ingeniux_for_higher_ed_screenshot.jpg" alt="CMS for Higher Education - Ingeniux user interface screenshot" />
 OmniUpdate Campus 
OmniUpdate Campus employs non-proprietary code that is built on open standards. It's been around for a long time and was specifically designed for higher education (now used by more than 700 colleges and universities) – offering course catalog, faculty directory, and interactive campus map features, as well as the capacity to manage as many users, pages, and sites as needed. The windows-friendly user interface is intuitive and requires less than an hour of training for non-technical users; the average user will find it easy to copy and paste content such as images, videos, etc. from an existing website and quickly publish it on this one.
In addition to RSS feeds and forms publishing, other capabilities include blog management and social media syncing. Another convenient feature of OmniUpdate is the fact that it alerts users to problems and necessary solutions before publishing. It does not require the installation of a separate application; rather, it is 100% internet browser-based and can normally be up and running in a matter of days.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/weaver_elizabeth_omniupdate_for_higher_ed_screenshot.jpg" alt="CMS for Higher Education - OmniUpdate user interface screenshot" />
 Campus Suite 
Campus Suite has earned its reputation as a secure, cost-efficient, easy-to-use turn-key software system, combined with support and hosting service – all specifically designed for colleges and universities. There are no apps to install, and built-in interactive web features allow for teacher pages, staff and faculty directories, event calendar, e-newsletters, news and press release management, blogging, podcasting, FAQs, form builders, and RSS feeds. There are also templates available that allow for easy assembly of photo and video galleries and more.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/weaver_elizabeth_campus_suite_for_higher_ed_screenshot.jpg" alt="CMS for Higher Education - Campus Suite user interface screenshot" />
 dotCMS 
DotCMS is a flexible, quick-launching, open source java-based system that can be used to manage a campus' entire web (including intranet) infrastructure. The WYSIWYG editor and drag-and-drop custom template builder allow for easy management and publication of documents, images, slide shows, event listings, etc., as well as the copying of material from an old, existing site to the new one. Remote widgets are available, and remote publishing can be set up in minutes. URLs and campaign domains can also be mapped to specific pages and sites using vanity URLs and domains.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/weaver_elizabeth_dotcms_for_higher_ed_screenshot.jpg" alt="CMS for Higher Education - dotCMS user interface screenshot" />
Campus IT professionals know that college and university websites today must have flexible, interactive designs – and must always be up and running. They are used by many stakeholders, including students, professors, parents, staff, and administrators – all of whom will have a whole range of technical skill levels. Ingeniux, OmniUpdate, Campus Suite, and dotCMS are all well-designed CMS' for Higher Education with the types of features a college or university's technical staff will find desirable, and all are well worth considering.
What do you think? Do you use any of these systems? Know of another we missed? Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.

CMS for Higher Education: 4 Great Options with User-Friendly Features

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After building and perfecting your content management system, it's now time to market itThere is already an ocean of content management systems available, and so it's very easy for new products to get lost in the currents, never to be exposed to the masses.This marketing struggle doesn't only affect newcomers to the CMS world either. Many platforms which have been active for months and sometimes even years can find it difficult to stand out from the crowd.So, to help get your product heard, seen and spoken about, I've put together a handy guide which outlines the best ways to market a content management system.<h2>Start a Blog</h2>Blogging is one of the most powerful ways to market online. Period.By setting up a blog for your content management system, you can detail some of its core features, explain answers to commonly asked questions, and even comment on wider issues which are trending in your niche.Using your blog, you can produce free, valuable content which will breed trust in your product and keep customers informed. The content you create can then be shared on social media and will eventually be picked up by search engines – both of which will bring you traffic.A blog is also a great way to keep your customers up to date with product news and updates surrounding your product. Additionally, the comments section of a blog is the perfect setting to engage with customers directly, and personally.<h2>Write Quality Press Releases</h2>Whether you're launching a new product, or releasing an update, pushing out a press release to news websites is a great way to get exposure.But don't just write a press release – write a damn good one.Nobody likes a lengthy, boring press release, nor a long list of impersonal bullet points. If your press releases don't intruige the reader, they won't bother trying to find out more about your product, which is assuming that your boring press release got published by anybody in the first place.So instead, ensure that your news actually is news worthy, and present it in a way which is concise, professional and above all, engaging.<h2>Get Active on Online Communities</h2>Marketing isn't all about beng formal, nor is it about staying within the zones of your own digital spaces. In fact, marketing requires you to branch out.Online communities like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.quora.com/">Quora</a> allow you to interact with people who are asking questions relevant to your industry. By answering these questions and presenting yourself professionally under the name of your product or brand, you will naturally enhance your reputation, and gain some targetted traffic whilst you're at it.Furthermore, online forums related to your industry are ideal for getting your product seen. The trick is to find relevant discussion boards, sign up, take part in the community, and make good use of your forum signature to link back to your website for yet more targetted traffic.<h2>Jump on to Social Media</h2>Speaking of branching out, there's no better way to do it than with social media.For starters, get your product a dedicated account on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn. Then, start to engage with customers and people in your target market directly by answering questions, partaking in hashtags and showing a bit of personality.Although, showing personality doesn't mean losing your professionalism altogether. Keep your social media updates relevant more often than not, and avoid tangents which will alienate your fans and followers.If your niche or industry is flexible enough, you can even extend your online presence to other social platforms like Vine, Instagram and Pinterest. A photography-based CMS for example would be a great match for such visual social networks.<h2>Initiate Email Marketing</h2>Perhaps the most important piece of information you can collect from a customer, is their email address.Having a list of emails from previous and potential customers enables you to send out products news, special offers and other marketing content right to their inboxes. That means complete access without having to worry about the customer missing the memo, like they may do if you only make announcements via social media or blog posts.So, start building an email list today using your website and blog by integrating a newsletter subscription form. The more emails you collect, the further the reach of your email marketing campaigns.<h2>Hold Developer Contests</h2>Another great way to market your content management system is to hold developer contests.The idea is that developers compete with eachother to produce valuable content for your platform in return for a prize, or perhaps some form of coverage on your website or blog. The content can be in the form of templates, plugins, or whatever else you feel would work best.Not only will your CMS gain some new content, but this method will also help your product be heard amongst the developer community in particular.<h2>Join the CMS Critic CMS Directory</h2>For those of you who haven't yet noticed, CMS Critic hosts a very detailed CMS Directory, which is free to become a part of.If you have a content management system, there is no reason at all why it shouldn't be listed on our directory. Not only will it be found by browsing customers, but they can also find your website, social media accounts, videos, screen shots and more. The directory even allows users to “Like” products.And as if all that wasn't enough, it's also a piece of cake to submit your CMS.<h2>Over to You</h2>So there you have it, some sure-fire ways to get your content management system under the noses of potential customers.If you can successfully leverage these methods in a consistent manner, the results will soon speak for themselves.So get out there and start talking – because the Internet is full of ways to get your voice heard.

The Newbies Guide to Marketing a Content Management System

A new version of MODX Evolution has been released. Version 1.0.13 brings with it over 100 fixes and improvements to the popular open source CMS.
For those running older versions, it's highly recommended that you update as soon as possible to take advantage of the many improvements and fixes available in this release.
Here are the highlights of the 1.0.13 release:
<ul>
<li>KCFinder – change uploaded image/file names with TransAlias</li>
<li>ManagerManager updated up to 0.6.1</li>
<li>Updated API functions: clearCache, now you can call it with parameter full ($modx-&gt;clearCache(‘full');)</li>
<li>Updated API functions: getDocuments, getTemplateVars, getTemplateVarOutput, getDocumentChildren, getDocumentChildrenTVarOutput, you can call getDocumentChildren with parameter all for view all documents (not only published or unpublished, and the same with deleted)</li>
<li>Updated Wayfinder to 2.0.2 (available document specific placeholders [+pagetitle+], [+longtitle+] etc.; fixed work of @INHERIT for custom TVs)</li>
<li>Managers with role = 1 can see all documents in manager panel and in front-end (in earlier versions documents with restrictions to special groups could not be seen by those manager users)</li>
<li>Added API function: $modx-&gt;parseText()</li>
<li>Added document ID to title during editing document, also added to QM+</li>
<li>Breadcrumbs 1.0.4 (you can exclude documents with the specified templates)</li>
<li>phpthumb 1.2 (if images on page processed already, phpthumb class will not included)</li>
<li>eForm 1.4.5 (added parameters: &amp;attachmentFields/&amp;attachmentPath)</li>
<li>FirstChildRedirect 2.0 (added parameters: &amp;default, &amp;sortBy, &amp;sortDir, &amp;responseCode)</li>
</ul>
For more information, check out the <a href="https://raw.github.com/modxcms/evolution/v1.0.13/install/changelog.txt">complete list of changes in the changelog.txt</a>
To learn more about MODX, visit <a href="/products/modx/">their listing</a> in our <a href="/products/">CMS Products</a> directory

MODX Evolution 1.0.13 Brings Over 100 Fixes and Improvements

The award-winning marketing solution provider DNN, today released the latest version of Evoq Social, an <a href="http://www.dnnsoftware.com/solutions/evoq-social-online-community-management" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">online community solution</a> that enables businesses to create immersive and interactive online communities.
DNN  powers hundreds of thousands of websites and a large number of communities worldwide, offering a suite of solutions that make designing, building and managing feature-rich sites and communities fast, easy and cost-effective. The DNN Platform CMS is the foundation for over 800,000 websites worldwide and powers <a href="http://www.dnnsoftware.com/solutions/evoq-content-management-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Evoq Content</a>.
Supporting communities in over 30 countries around the world, DNN know a thing or two about successful community building. Nearly 63 percent of its users are deemed very active, and more than 8,000 new members sign up per month.
This new version of Evoq Social boasts an enhanced set of features and options for deploying social groups, encouraging conversations and enhancing collaboration. So, let's take a quick look at what's new.
<h2>Group Spaces, Group Directory &amp; Easier Blog Authoring</h2>
First of all, Evoq Social’s group capabilities have been enhanced. Now called “Group Spaces”, this feature provides more tools for group owners, community managers and administrators to help members discover new groups, along with ways to invite new members via notifications or email.
A brand new “Group Directory” allows groups to be quickly and easily searched, created, tagged and moderated similar to other Evoq Social features and is tightly integrated with Evoq Social’s gaming mechanics engine.
Evoq Social also provides a simplified community manager experience, giving additional insight into how community members are contributing with answers and ideas.
Furthermore, DNN has streamlined the platform’s blog authoring capabilities, allowing users to create even more compelling content to be shared on social networks. Evoq Social also features the ability for unauthenticated users to easily post a comment without the need for login or account registration, making the platform even more socially inclusive.
<h2>Responding to Customer Feedback &amp; A New Trialling System</h2>
Regarding the release of these new features, Will Morgenweck, DNN vice president, had this to say:
<blockquote>“Our new Group Spaces and Group Directory capabilities are the result of feedback from our customers, who told us they wanted to organize content and conversation within particular groups of users. Groups Spaces will facilitate these focused interactions. At the same time, we’ve made it easier for users to discover new groups they can join to collaborate with like-minded peers.”</blockquote>
In addition to launching the latest release of Evoq Social, DNN have also deployed a new and simplified trial experience. Users interested in Evoq Social can launch a free trial of the product, directly from the DNN website.
In the new trial experience, users will be able to spin up and configure the basic elements of an online community in no more than five minutes. To test the platform out, sign up for a  <a href="http://www.dnnsoftware.com/evoq-social-free-trial" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> free Evoq Social trial today</a>.
To find out more about DNN Evoq Social, check out their <a href="http://www.dnnsoftware.com/solutions/evoq-social-online-community-management" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> official website</a>.
Additionally, you can get to grips with the <a href="/products/dnn-evoq-social/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> DNN Platform via our CMS Directory</a>.

DNN Evoq Social Receives New Features to Enhance Online Community Engagement

During my <a href="/my-visit-to-magnolias-offices-in-basel-switzerland/">recent visit to the Magnolia CMS Headquarters in Basel, Switzerland</a>, I was given the opportunity to sit down and have a (lengthy but informative) chat with Boris Kraft, CTO and CoFounder of Magnolia CMS.I promise, there will be some solid video interviews coming soon where you'll actually be able to see us chat but due to unforeseen circumstances (a camera that broke while we were in Paris), I had simply a microphone and a laptop available. I turned our interview into a video just to make it easier for everyone to be able to listen.While it is a lengthy interview, I think you'll find our discussion interesting. It shows the passion that Boris has for his product and I found the entire chat quite informative and interesting. I hope you feel the same way after listening to it.http://youtu.be/a2enpJmSLogFor more info on Magnolia, visit the <a href="/products/magnolia">Magnolia CMS</a> page in our CMS Product Directory.

Interview with Boris Kraft, CTO and CoFounder of Magnolia CMS

Sometimes a seemingly simple CMS is only simple when it comes to the simple stuff.
But when it comes to actually modifying front-end elements and responding to mobile devices and third-party tools, many fall short in their simplicity.
<a href="http://www.surrealcms.com" target="_blank"> Surreal CMS</a>, however, is aiming to be one of the few exceptions.
Their user-friendly ethos seems to emanate from every feature, with usability in mind for an experience that is trying to be, well – simple.
<h2>Inline Editing &amp; Touch-friendly UI</h2>
Surreal CMS is geared towards users looking for a straightforward content management system, and it illustrates this brilliantly with an invitation for visitors to edit some text on their homepage.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/11111.png" alt="Surreal CMS Inline Editing" /> 
This inline editing feature found within Surreal CMS is perfect for those who are new to website design and modification. After all, pointing, clicking, editing and saving just makes a whole lot of sense.
The friendly website editing doesn't stop there though. Surreal CMS boasts a responsive, touch-friendly UI, allowing users to make changes to their web pages from tablet and mobile devices.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/responsive.png" alt="Surreal CMS Responsive" />
<h2>Multi-site Management, Easy Integration Options &amp; More</h2>
Surreal CMS has more to offer than just a pretty face though. There's also a fair bit of functionality and flexibility to be found.
For example, the platform allows you to manage a number of sites from one place, even if you have multiple hosting providers.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sites_1.png" alt="Surreal CMS Site Manager" /> 
Furthermore, Surreal CMS can connect to any site using FTP, SFTP, and even Amazon S3. That means there is no need to make special arrangements to accommodate the platform. It just works.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ftp.png" alt="Surreal CMS FTP SMPT " /> 
Additional features include built-in analytics, photo galleries, file management, and more. To dig a little deeper, take a quick look at their <a href="http://www.surrealcms.com/features" target="_blank"> features page</a>.
<h2>A CMS With a Friendly Face</h2>
One other thing I noticed about Surreal CMS, is its friendliness. Not only was it presenting features which almost anybody can make use of, but it did it with some charm – and that's worth praise.
Far too many content management systems get lost in their jargon and sleek website design to offer up any personality. Surreal CMS on the other hand, keeps it cool and casual.
Just check out their <a href="http://www.surrealcms.com/pricing" target="_blank">prices page</a> for example. Their platform is an ideal solution for website designers looking to streamline their tasks and earn via a platformlike Surreal, and so Surreal CMS go out of their way to explain how best to do this.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/2222.png" alt="Surreal CMS Pricing" /> 
Their website layout, copy and even the green Alien mascot found throughout their imagery and icons helps to maintain a friendly, helpful atmosphere. They even offer up a discount to non-profit organizations.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/3.png" alt="Surreal CMS Offer" />
To find out more about Surreal CMS, check out their <a href="http://www.surrealcms.com/" target="_blank">official website</a>.
Additionally, explore some more of the features on offer from <a href="/products/surreal-cms/" target="_blank">Surreal CMS via our CMS Directory</a>.

Surreal CMS: a Straightforward Platform With a Friendly Face

BlackMonk CMS Review

Adobe today announced the integration of two big content solutions, its <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/digital-publishing-suite-family.html" target="_blank">Adobe Digital Publishing Suite</a> (DPS) with <a href="http://www.adobe.com/solutions/web-experience-management.html" target="_blank">Adobe Experience Manager</a>, part of the Adobe Marketing Cloud.
Adobe's integration was designed for both publishers and brands to deliver content-centric apps, dramatically reduce publishing costs across channels and utilize app measurement capabilities from Adobe Analytics, part of Adobe Marketing Cloud. 
 So, let's get into exactly what's new. 
<h2>Faster App Content Authoring &amp; Brand Consistency </h2>
This new integration, in combination with <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.adobe.com%2Fsolutions%2Fdigital-analytics.html&amp;esheet=50813174&amp;newsitemid=20140226006784&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Adobe+Analytics&amp;index=4&amp;md5=d4080747a3211a8619358cc9767d8845" target="_blank">Adobe Analytics</a>, enables publishers and brands to create, deliver and measure experiences across content-rich apps, like digital magazines and the Web, using  just one set of assets in the process.
 As a result, organizations can accelerate application authoring, reduce publishing costs across channels, and deliver a consistent brand experience and content marketing strategy on the Web and mobile devices.
Now, the combination of DPS and Experience Manager allows organizations to deliver relevant, timely branded content by:
<ul>
<li>
 Authoring compelling app content faster —using Adobe Experience Manager’s intuitive, drag-and-drop interface, content and creative assets can now be seamlessly added to responsive HTML templates, which are then synced with DPS. Templates are uploaded as articles into an existing .folio within DPS for publishing to tablets, smartphones and the Web. Responsive templates automatically size to different mobile screen sizes allowing organizations to design once and streamline content publication to multiple devices and the Web.
</li>
<li>
 Decreasing publishing costs across channels —creative teams, production staff and business managers can now leverage approved creative assets for delivery into content-centric apps, reducing dependence on Web production and design staff. They can ensure more timely delivery of content with greater control over mobile brand experiences as well as the ability to quickly update content as needed.
</li>
<li>
 Maintaining a consistent brand and user experience —production staff can ensure brand consistency across Web and content-centric apps by using approved, versioned assets that are centrally located and managed through Experience Manager’s <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.adobe.com%2Fsolutions%2Fweb-experience-management%2Fdigital-asset-management.html&amp;esheet=50813174&amp;newsitemid=20140226006784&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Digital+Asset+Management&amp;index=7&amp;md5=4cb157ed8d8d05b650850cdd0d0a5f86" target="_blank"> Digital Asset Management</a>.
</li>
</ul>
<h2>A Time &amp; Money Saver</h2>
Regarding the announcement, Nick Bogaty, head of digital publishing for Adobe, had this to say: 
<blockquote>
“DPS and Adobe Experience Manager make it significantly easier for publishers and brands to produce consistent, rich content for customers on mobile and the Web. Delivering interactive magazines for mobile devices and content for the Web used to require separate assets, teams and time. That’s now a thing of the past. The combination of our tools will arm savvy CMOs with a tremendous advantage, helping save time and money and providing a competitive brand advantage.”
</blockquote>
As the quote implies, publishers and brands can look forward to a streamlined content production process across channels, which will naturally result in savings to both time and money.
In addition to the new integration with Experience Manager, DPS also offers full app measurement capabilities from Adobe Analytics, part of Adobe Marketing Cloud. 
The combination of DPS and Adobe Marketing Cloud allows publishers and businesses to create, deliver and measure rich-content mobile apps, ensuring the most impactful content reaches the right audience. 
 For more information on the Integration, check out the <a href="http://blogs.adobe.com/digitalpublishing/" target="_blank"> official Adobe DPS Blog</a>.

Adobe Announce Integration of Adobe Digital Publishing Suite & Adobe Experience Manager

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